The Mulberry Tree

She had a perfect life. Then she got a real life....For nearly twenty years, quiet, unassuming Lillian Manville has devoted herself to her self-made billionaire husband -- and enjoyed a luxurious life of splendid homes, trips, jewels, and clothes. But when James Manville dies in a plane crash, Lillian's grief is compounded by a shocking mystery: all that Jimmie has left to her is an old farmhouse in tiny Calburn, Virginia. Now, Lillian's unexpected circumstances are leading her to a made-over life in Calburn, an exciting business'and a sweet new love with a handsome local man. But will she have the courage to unveil the truth surrounding a past scandal and the loss of her husband? The answers may be as close as the mulberry tree in her yard -- and Lillian must dig deep within herself to Wght the secrets and lies that threaten to uproot the past she cherished and the future she treasures....This lush bestseller shines with the passion, intrigue, and warmth that is Jude Deveraux at her best.

This book is okay, but not great. The biggest problem is that the author leaves a couple huge questions (surrounding the big mystery) unanswered. From the very beginning the author implies two characters must be blackmailing another. This is sort of confirmed, to a degree, near the end, but the author never reveals how or when these characters would have crossed paths, or how the blackmail started.

Another huge part of the plot is the inheritance. It ultimately doesn’t make any sense. You realize that blackmail had to be the reason he wrote his will the way he did. At the very beginning you learn that he left her the house without actually putting it in the will, so no one else would know. If he figured out a way to do that, why didn’t he leave her a reasonable amount of money to be given to her in the same manner? You know he does not value money because he has so much of it, and he thinks that his wife would be taken advantage of if he left her a large amount. But considering the condition of the house, the amount of money he left her wouldn’t even cover half the repairs to make it livable.

For someone who claimed to love her so much, and sincerely promised she’d be taken care of after his death, the inheritance doesn’t make sense, and is never explained.

The character development of the late husband is very interesting, and is revealed slowly throughout the book. By the end you are desperately wishing for a confrontation that can never happen because he is dead. You feel like you are left with so many questions that only he can answer, so you are left wanting.